How To Get In Shape For Tennis Season

Tennis requires all-over fitness. You need aerobic capacity to keep up with lengthy playing, as well as anaerobic ability to be agile, explosive and accurate in your shots. According to a 2009 study published in the journal "Sports Medicine," tennis is also a sport that is increasing in its fitness requirements as the time spent winning points decreases. In addition, the study notes that fatigue causes a significant decline in shot accuracy, making overall fitness critical to a good tennis match.

Step 1

Start with cardiovascular training. Running, swimming and biking increase your cardio strength, as does time at the gym on the elliptical, treadmill or stationary bike. With an elliptical, bike or swimming workout, you don't impact your joints as much, which can also be a consideration as you're getting back into tennis shape. Tennis can be an intense cardiovascular activity of short sprints followed by quick side-to-side movements. Enable a good match by increasing your aerobic endurance.

Step 2

Increase flexibility. Stretching before and after a workout and a match is critical. With short bursts of speed, you can easily damage inflexible ankles, knees and, most especially, calf muscles. The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles that make up your calf, as well as the Achilles tendon, require a warm-up and thorough stretch to avoid damaging them, a condition so common it's called "tennis leg.". After warming up, stretch by leaning against a wall and holding the stretch with your heels down for 30 seconds. Then bend the knees to move the stretch into the Achilles tendon and hold for 30 seconds more.

Step 3

Strengthen your upper body for powerful shots. Upper body workouts, such as shoulder presses, biceps curls, triceps dips, lat pulldowns and chest presses help create a powerful network of muscle that powers your forehand and backhand.

Step 4

Work you lower body to increase explosive power on the court. Use a routine of squats, lunges and calf raises to strengthen the quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles. More strength equals more power and the ability to quickly change direction and respond to incoming shots.

Step 5

Strengthen your core to protect your back and keep your game strong. A powerful core helps you move more quickly, and also protects your back from injury when moving quickly on the court.